Styling Won’t be the Only Thing that Makes the Urus Stand Out in Lamborghini’s Lineup

Lamborghini is slowly inching toward its entrance to the SUV segment!

Rumors of a LamborghiniSUV were flying around for quite some time before Lambo shocked the world with the Lamborghini Urus Concept at the 2012 Beijing Auto Show. At the time, it was planned to be in production by 2017, and so far, it looks like everything is right on schedule as it looks like it will go on sale in 2018 – all but confirming a 2017 debut. But, what’s more important is that the brand’s R&D Chief, Maurizio Reggiani, has come forth and confirmed to Autocar that the long-awaited SUV will the be the onlyplug-in hybrid in the Lamborghini stable. And, one other interesting tidbit: that plug-in hybrid will be offered next to a twin-turbo Urus that rocks a 4.0-liter V-8.

The Urus will use the same underpinnings as other models nested under the VW umbrella like the Audi Q7 and the Bentley Bentayga. So, it will get a 48-volt electric system that is used to power active, anti-roll suspension, but since torque is so important to those who fancy SUVs, there will be no naturally aspirated version of the Urus, with Reggiani saying that the NA configuration will live on in its road cars to preserve that responsiveness and feel that comes with the soul of all-engine power.

When speaking about the Urus, Reggiani said that the Urus has evolved quite a bit from the concept it is based on. “The design [of the Urus] is pure Lamborghini,” he said, “It has evolved considerably since the concept, and the finished car is much better inside and out.” For now, the firm is concentrating its efforts on power, weight, and aerodynamics, which means the new Urus should be one hell of a package when it finally makes its debut next year.

On a side note, back in September, Reggiani confirmed that the Urus would, in fact, use a traditional torque converter and automatic transmission as opposed to a dual-clutch or ISR transmission. (art174601) No specifics about power output are known, but rumors indicate that the Urus could have more than 600 horsepower and 700 pound-feet of torque, which is more than enough to surf the dunes or, you know, tear down a house. For now, that’s all we know, but things are certainly shaping up, and we can’t wait to see the production version in the metal.

What do you think? Would an SUV based on the latest Urus concept be at home in your garage? Would you be willing to do normal SUV things with something that wears a Lamborghini shield? Let us know in the comments section below.